Just some pics!

I will have my 29 week update up later this weekend. Levi and I were gone all day yesterday shopping with my mom, so I didn't have a chance to get a picture, but once I do that I'll get my post up.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a couple pics from last weekend.

Paul went to a farm toy show on Saturday with one of his friends,  and he brought something back for Levi. I'm not sure which one of them was more excited. Levi loved his new 'bombine' and 'big truck'!

This next one I snapped after church on Sunday. Levi looked so handsome in his outfit and I wanted to get one of him with the palm leaf since it was Palm Sunday.

Pinspiration Monday

Hey! I actually remembered to post today! Barely...lol. Once I get done with this I am going to go make some cupcakes. Boston Cream Pie cupcakes! Yum!

Here are my fave pins from the week ::

Brownie Refrigerator Dessert. Ohhhh this looks so good!

Source: tastebook.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I think this might be my next haircut. I'm getting my hair colored tomorrow, and I think this would look cute with my new color/highlights. It's probably the shortest I would ever go. We'll see!

Source: contactmusic.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Peach Julius. So making these once peaches are in season!

Source: aroundmyfamilytable.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I just love this picture. The wheat field and the lighting are perfect. Possible family photos this summer?

Source: iheartfaces.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

This is already on my menu for this week. Doesn't really have a name, and I think it's meant to be more of an appetizer, but Paul actually thought it looked sort of good and I'm going to make noodles and a veggie with it. Boom, dinner.

Source: shoppingonpinterest.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

That's all for now!

28 weeks

Late again. Whoops. I finally had a chance to get the pic taken today, or actually I finally just figured I better take it or I would keep putting it off. Anyhoo...

How far along?: 28 wks 3 days
How big is baby?: Weighs about 2.25 lbs and measures 14.8 inches from head to heels.
Weight gain?: I did remember to weigh myself on Thursday, which was my actual 28 week mark, and it was pretty close to the same as last week. Hopefully won't gain too much in the next couple weeks before my appointment. Not that I'm doing a whole lot to prevent it...Easter candy is apparently a weakness for me.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Not bad, still having a hard time staying on my side all night.
Best moment this week?: Having my mom here for a day to visit.
Food cravings?: Nothing out of the ordinary!
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup! More this week than ever, I can tell she is growing. I am pretty sure I felt her foot the other night, I was laying in bed and she was squirming around, and when I pushed my hand into my stomach I felt a little knob and then it moved. I remember feeling Levi's foot too and it is so weird, but fun at the same time.
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Still no sign of the warmer weather I was missing last week, so that is still on the list..
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Taking Levi to see the baby chicks at Runnings this afternoon, and going shopping with my mom this week.
Milestone? Third trimester! Agh! Still have lots to do in the next 3 months!!

'Toddler' Mini Muffins

I thought I would share a recipe today. At first my plan was to wait until Monday and use it as a Pinspiration post, since the recipe (surprise!) comes from Pinterest, but I decided to just go with it.

Let me start by saying that Levi is not a fan of vegetables. I have no clue why, but since he switched from baby food to finger foods last year, he won't touch them. He ate his baby food good, so I'm wondering if it's a texture thing. There have been a few instances where he'll try something, but usually he won't even look at anything green, orange or any other bright color unless it is fruit. He LOVES his fruit, so that is a plus at least. And he does eat well for the most part.

So in other words, I need to get better at 'hiding' them in his meals. I've put chopped/grated carrots and broccoli (and other miscellaneous veggies) into things like meatloaf and bbq's, which he will usually eat, but then I get the complaining from the other end... Yep. This tastes different...What did you put in this?...yada yada yada. (I am talking about Paul if you didn't figure that out. :) But a lot of the time I just don't think of it, and keep hoping one day he'll just decide he likes carrots or broccoli or anything veggie, really.

Which leads me to this recipe. I saw it on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try. There isn't a lot of sugar, and it has lots of good-for-you things in it. After I made the muffins and let them cool, I gave one to Levi, not sure what to expect. Sure enough, he loved them. So much that he had like five of them. And he had a few for breakfast this morning too. So I guess they are a success! And the fact that he is getting some vitamins and minerals from the carrots, squash and bananas that are hidden in them is a bonus! These might be something that I keep in the freezer for a quick snack or breakfast.

Toddler Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste
2 large bananas, mashed
1 (4.5 oz) jar baby food squash
2 carrots, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups or 12 standard muffin cups.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the mashed bananas, squash, carrots, and eggs. Stir in the flour, oat bran, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature for up to two days, or freeze.

Notes:
- I got 24 mini muffins, plus 7 regular size muffins.
- I set the timer for 15 minutes with the mini muffins and that was about right. The regular size muffins needed a few more minutes.  
- The bottoms of my muffins did get a little dark, but I think that was mainly because I have a dark nonstick muffin pan.

Original recipe from Allrecipes HERE 
Original pin is HERE  

Hope you enjoy! And just because, here is a pic of Levi having one yesterday. He was ignoring my camera as you can see..

 

Pinspiration Monday....on a Tuesday

So, I forgot to do my post yesterday. Surprise! Haha not so much right? Thought I would still get it up today though.

Love this idea. I have seen it before but sort of forgot about it. I think this might work with the shelf I have right above my table that I scrapbook at.

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

These potatoes look so yummy! Anything with ranch, cheese and bacon is thumbs up in my book.

Source: joyouslydomestic.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

This is going to be a must-try when strawberries are back in season. Or at least not so expensive at the grocery store anymore.

Source: nosugarsweetlife.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Love this diy wall art. Pretty colors.

Source: craptastickatie.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I love this mini album, lots of great ideas I can use for Project Life!

Source: ellesstudio.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I would like to dedicate this post to Team Umizoomi on Nick Jr., for keeping Levi entertained long enough for me to type this up quick.

Water park fun!

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, we took Levi up to Alexandria to stay at Arrrowwood and go to the water park this weekend. It was the first time we have stayed in a hotel with him, and he did alright. He was a very good boy overall and we can't complain much! He is just so busy, it was hard to keep him entertained in one area like a hotel room. He LOVE LOVE LOVED the water park! He did NOT want to leave either time we went. When you rent a room you get free passes, so we went for about an hour on Friday when we got there, then for another hour or so on Saturday morning before check out. We would have stayed longer, but it was a little cool in there, surprisingly, and by that time Levi was just too cold. I mean it wasn't cold, and the water was pretty warm, but when you got out of the water, being wet, it was chilly, especially for a little kid. His lips were getting blue and he was shivering like crazy. He put up a fight both times we left though.

And some pictures!

 Levi loved the water slides! There were two smaller ones in the area for kids, and he couldn't get enough! (I was really bummed that I didn't get any of the shots of them coming down the slide in focus. I guess they were just moving too fast, and it really wasn't all that bright in there for me to use manual and a high shutter speed but the flash didn't reach too far either. Oh well I guess.. )

 The water was nice and shallow so he could walk well in it, and he thought it was fun to put his hands on the bottom and walk that way too.

 On the lazy river.

 He got a kick out of these sprayers too. There were a few of them scattered around that he had to check out.

 Giving me his cheeser smile..

 It was a lot of fun! I'm sure we will take him back again when he gets a little older, or when both kids are old enough!

27 weeks

Better late than never, right?! Both my boys are napping right now so I thought I would get a couple posts up. First up is this one, my 27 week update, and next I am going to put up some pics from our little overnight trip to Arrowwood in Alexandria.

How far along?: 27 wks 3 days
 How big is baby?: About 2 lbs
Weight gain?: I forgot to weigh myself this week....whoops...
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good for the most part!
Best moment this week?: Getting a couple cute baby outfits in the mail :)
Food cravings?: Anything sweet/chocolate is what I've been wanting this week. Well...I guess that is any time so maybe not so much of a pregnancy craving... Dove dark chocolates have been my favorite treat lately.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: This has nothing to do with pregnancy, but....I MISS WARMER WEATHER!!! I am so sick of winter and cold I could scream! And there's another stupid blizzard warning for tonight into tomorrow! ACK!!!
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Bringing Levi to ECFE class on Wednesday, and my mom coming up to visit one day this week.
Milestone? Officially six months along! Yikes, 3 months left...seems like a long time, but it's really not! Only one more monthly checkup and then I'm into the two-week checkups!

 

Pinspiration Monday

I thought I would try and get back to doing these Pinspiration Monday posts. So here are some of my favorite recent pins!

This Cowboy Spaghetti looks so delish! Definitely going to be on one the coming weeks' meal plans. I have a link to Mel's Kitchen Cafe in my sidebar, lots of great recipes!

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I am in love with this technique using watercolor pencils on a scrapbook layout. Might have to get some of them next time I'm at the craft store!

Source: studiocalico.typepad.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Creamy Garlic Shells from Iowa Girl Eats. Quick and easy alternative to those noodle packets that are high calorie and filled with sodium! Can't say I haven't eaten my fair share of those things in my lifetime, but this looks just as simple!

Source: iowagirleats.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Veggie-filled chocolate muffins. Might have to give these a try and see if Levi would eat them, Mr. Veggie-hater.

Source: mummymusingsandmayhem.blogspot.com.au via Kelsey on Pinterest

I'm really thinking about doing this on Levi's cake for his birthday next month! So cute!

Source: littlelifeofmine.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

So there you have it! If you want to see more of my pins (and there are plenty!!) you can follow me HERE. Thanks for stopping by :)

26 weeks + pics

How far along?: 26 wks 1 day
How big is baby?: Weighs about 1 2/3 lb and measures 14 inches long.
Weight gain?: About 18.5 lbs total (according to my home scale...more like 20 according to the dr.'s scale)
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good, starting to have to get up to use the bathroom at least once a night though.
Best moment this week?: Hearing that little heartbeat at my appointment yesterday, always good to know everything is going the way it should be.
Food cravings?: Not really. I really want a pop right now.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Still the same as last week, bending over more easily, and being able to get off the floor without so much effort.
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Taking Levi to the indoor waterpark in Alexandria this weekend, although it looks like we might be postponing that because there is some freezing rain coming our way I guess. Boo. Sick of winter.
Milestone? Baby's ears are better developed and can hear both my voice and others'.

  

I also have a few pics of Levi that I thought I'd share. We went outside and played for a little while the other day when he woke up from his nap. This first one is just because he looks so darn cute in his little Carhartt bibs that my grandma gave him! His snow pants are way too small so we made due with these for now. I actually just found him a pair on sale at Herberger's yesterday when we were at the mall, so they will at least get him through the next few (hopefully only a few) weeks of winter. Now with my luck just because I bought them, the snow will all melt in a week. Which I wouldn't complain about, either! 

 

And the next two are just from playing outside. He loved crawling around in the snow and digging in it. The big hill is from Paul snow blowing there, that's where all the snow from where we park our cars ends up. He thought it was fun climbing to the top, then sliding down the other side. We weren't out too terrible long since his pants got soaked since they're not waterproof, and he face-planted in the snow when he lost his balance. He didn't like that too much! The first thing he wanted was his 'mer' aka binker, surprise! So that was when we went in the house.

A few new pics + my latest lunch obsession

Just thought I would pop in and share a few pics from the past week.

Levi likes to eat plain tortillas, apparently he is related to his auntie... He wanted one the other day for a snack, so I gave him one. I had just bought him that little rolling pin, thinking he could use it with play-dough or something eventually. Well, he thought he better roll out his tortilla a little more before he ate it. So he had to roll it, then hit it a few times before he took every bite.

He fell asleep in the car twice on Sunday, and both times I took him in the house thinking he would wake up, but he kept sleeping for another 25-30 minutes. This time he fell asleep on the way home from visiting Paul's parents, and when I laid him on the couch, he sort of woke up, yelled at me a little, then grabbed his blankie, rolled over and konked out again for awhile. FYI he was NOT in a very good mood when he did wake up either times.

This one was actually just from earlier today, right after lunch. He got food all over him today (cottage cheese, peach juice, etc.), so I just took his clothes off and let him run around in his diaper for a bit before his nap. He had to have a cookie, and was sitting here watching Dora (or Diego??) for awhile in the recliner.

And then, my latest obsession for lunch. Fish tacos. My way. Also known as the easy way. This also ties into my last pregnancy post, where I mentioned that I've been craving spicy things more that usual. All I do is make some fish sticks, then put them on a warmed up tortilla with a smear of sour cream, plenty of lettuce, then give them a good dose of Frank's Red Hot sauce. Yum! Simple yet delicious. :) I had some fish tacos at Buffalo Wild Wings awhile last summer, and that is where the idea came from. Those had pico de gayo on them too, which would also be super yum, but I don't usually have that on hand, and regular salsa wouldn't be the same. The ones from Taco Johns that are out for a couple months during Lent are also really good. See? Obsessed much? I just wrote a whole paragraph about fish tacos..yikes. I'm done now.

In other, non-fish-taco-related news...
We had what I hope is our last snow of the season last night (Paul is a doesn't think it will be, boo.), so that made the roads yucky and I had to re-schedule my doctor appointment that was supposed to be this morning. So now it is on Thursday afternoon. Which actually works out good since then I'll have an accurate weight for my 26 week post.

That's about all I got for tonight.

New design!

I have been thinking about getting a new design for awhile, and finally found one that I love! I found it on Etsy (surprise!), and it was super-easy to install and I am thrilled with my new look!

Maybe now I'll be more inspired to keep this thing updated!! :)

Thanks so much to Kreated by Kelsey! To visit her Etsy store and check out her other pre-made designs, click  here.

Let me know how you like it!

Some pictures

I keep telling myself that I should update this thing more often, and sometimes I'll do really well for a few weeks. But lately I have just been lazy when it comes to getting the pictures off of my camera, and to be honest I haven't taken as many pictures as normal either. Most of the time when I want to take a picture, by the time I would have gotten up to get my camera the moment would be gone. Sometimes my ipod is closer, so I'll snap a pic with that and put it on Instagram, but my ipod pics aren't the best quality. Someday I will convince Paul to let me get an iphone. It would take the place of my ipod, my phone, and my point and shoot camera (that I hate and hardly ever use anyway). The monthly bill is the main reason for not getting one. But anyhoo, here are just some pics from the past couple weeks since I last posted. (Sorry.)

Levi absolutely loves being outside with Paul. LOVES IT. Especially when it involves sled rides, the 4-wheeler, or the snowmobile. He is all boy. Hopefully if the weather starts to get a bit nicer he can go out with him more.

 On this day, Paul was pulling him in the sled behind the 4-wheeler. They were both having so much fun! Levi didn't want to come in, I don't know how many times they went around the block, down the street, around town...wherever. When his cheeks were getting pretty red we decided he better come inside and that did NOT go over well!

 My dad always gets my sister and I flowers for Valentine's Day, and brings them to us. It was fun to spend the evening with them when they came up that weekend, and I know Levi loved it too. He is grandpa's buddy now.

 Levi likes to color, even if it doesn't hold his attention for terribly long yet. The funny thing about this time was the fact that he was coloring on the stickers that he stuck on the page last time we had the book out. He calls anything/one that is a boy, a daddy, and anything/one that is a girl, a mommy. So he was coloring on the 'daddy' sticker with his blue marker, and the 'mommy' sticker with the yellow marker. (Or vice versa with the colors, I know it was blue and yellow though.) He would say 'Da-ee. Boo.' and 'Mommy. Hello,' while he was coloring on them. It was funny. Or maybe it was just to me.

 Putting money (coins) into his 'cOw' and 'fog' banks is a favorite thing to do.

 What's more fun that a big box? He thought it was hilarious to lay down in it like that and then wanted me to put the flaps over him to close it.

 Water. He is obsessed with water. (Except in the form of a shower and/or bath, of course..) He loves to stand on his stool, which is actually his little potty chair, and play in the faucet. I finally had a light bulb moment and realized, duh, why not just put some water in the sink? Of course he made a holy mess and I had to wipe water off the floor and wall around him, but it kept him entertained for quite awhile while I did some other things upstairs. He did do pretty good with not splashing after I told him not to, but it's hard to avoid getting water everywhere when where is a nearly two-year-old little boy in the equation.

25 weeks

How far along?: 25 weeks 1 day
How big is baby?: Measures about 13.5 inches, and weighs about a pound and a half.
Weight gain?: Total gain of 16 lbs so far.
Stretch marks?: Same.
Maternity clothes?: Yep!
Sleep?: Good when Levi sleeps all night...
Best moment this week?: When Levi pointed to my tummy when we were sitting on the couch one morning and said "Mommy tummy. Baby." I think he is finally getting it that there is a baby in mommy's tummy.
Food cravings?: The one recurring 'craving' that I have had is for spicy things. I haven't had much of it, but for some reason sounds good. Except I think it may not like me in return, I had my quick version of fish tacos for lunch yesterday and I always put some Frank's Red Hot on them, and that evening I think I had my first occurrence of some heartburn/indigestion.
Gender?: Girl!
Movement?: Yup!
Belly button?: Squished.
What I miss?: Bending over more easily, and being able to get off the floor without so much effort.
Labor signs?: None.
What I'm looking forward to?: Going to a little boutique in a town about an hour away to check out their new maternity section with my mom and sister. Hopefully we can find some cute stuff, and if not it will just be fun to look and hang out with them!
Milestone? Well according the the app on my ipod, baby is starting to get more baby fat and her skin is smoothing out.

24 weeks

Obviously I am like a week late in posting this, since I'm putting up my 25 week post today too. But I just wanted to get the picture up, because I sort of liked looking back at the ones from last time and thought I would like to look back at these someday too. So that is all for this post!